The present invention relates to an electrical connector plug and receptacle assembly, and in particular relates to such an assembly for high current applications in which manufacturing and inventory costs are reduced.
Electrical connector plug and socket assemblies are used in a variety of applications where it is desirable to facilitate configuring the plug and receptacle assemblies to the number and type of electrical conductors in the cable within which they are associated, while minimizing the number of different parts associated with making up the plug and receptacle. Further, it is desirable to facilitate repair of defective portions of plug and receptacle combinations, while minimizing the number of repair parts that must be carried in inventory. This is particularly true in high current applications, such as in power distribution systems for distributing power to mining equipment and the like. At the same time, while minimizing the number of parts required for the plug and receptacle, it is very important in such high current applications to insure low resistance electrical connections, so as to prevent hot spots and the like developing due to the presence of the high current.